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Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Morning skate: Miller better, Lundqvist in net

Greetings from Philadelphia where the Flyers shocked their media base but a) skating at the Wells Fargo Center instead of their practice facility in Voorhees, N.J. and b) showing lines during the morning skate. Looks like AHL recall Tye McGinn, who in the Flyers 2-1 win over the Rangers at Philadelphia on Jan. 24, won a decisive fight against Kris Newbury, will skate on Claude Giroux’s top line with Jakub Voracek. McGinn, recovering from facial injuries, is not likely to fight tonight.

As for the Rangers, Henrik Lundqvist will make his eighth straight start. Guess here is still that Marty Biron gets the start in Montreal (which also appears to be Mats Zuccarello’s likely first game back with the Rangers, unless it’s Thursday at Ottawa). Other than that, no official word on the Rangers’ lineup but it appears J.T. Miller will be back in the lineup after missing Sunday’s 3-2 shootout loss to the Capitals due to a sore left wrist. Miller was off the ice with the regulars and said he was able to shoot and pass without discomfort. Defenseman Matt Gilroy was the only Ranger on the ice late, along with Biron, so Gilroy will again be the healthy scratch.

If Miller is in, the Rangers need a candidate to come out of the lineup. That could be Taylor Pyatt, scoreless in his last 13 games. If it’s not Pyatt, other candidates are any of the third or fourth liners - Brian Boyle, Arron Asham (doubt it), Newbury, Darroll Powe (doubt it). No lines from the Ranges’ morning skate but Chris Kreider is likely to remain on a line with Rick Nash and Brad Richards and Marian Gaborik will likely be with Boyle and Miller.

“It feels lot better today,” Miller said of his left wrist, wrapped so hard during practice the rookie joked it cut off his circulation. “I took care of it over the last few days and it definitely feels better. I can shoot pretty much as hard as I can, catch passes did some battle drills, pushed off against the wall. It feels good.”
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Also from the morning skate, some words from Nash and Tortorella:

Nash first.
On being on a line with Kreider: “He’s got some speed. Obviously he’s got that big shot everybody has to worry about and a sense of energy. He’s a young guy that brings a lot of zip to the game.”

On Kreider’s being on the line to track down pucks, per Tortorella: “For me I always want the puck in my hands so if somebody is going to track it down and get it my hands, great. I always love those guys on the line who are going to hunt down the puck.”

On NHL discipline czar Brendan Shanahan issuing a video explaining why Nash WASN’T suspended for his hit on the Panthers’ Tomas Kopecky: “Obviously it’s out of my hands. Once it goes up to a different level, I can’t control what happens.”

On approaching Kopecky later in the game to make sure he was OK: “Yeah, I was asking him if he was all right. It was a quick play and I would never want to put someone in harm, that’s not my intention.”

Now Tortorella…
On the need for a good start: “Right on through the year I think 20 of our 31 games, wev’e been chasing games all year long. We want a good start. When you don’t get the first goal and something bad happens, and playing well up to that point, you can’t let it affect you, you’ve got to stay with it. All teams are trying to get that first goal. We need to be more consistent with our starts and staying with our starts. I think when you fluctuate with inconsistency and something bad happens, you think about it too much. Need to find a way get by.”

On Newbury: “The big thing with Newbs, and he brought us energy, a big part of his game is his bite. He’s got to straddle that line and not go over that and not put us down a man. I liked what that fourth line did, I always liked him, he needs to make just make sure he’s got that edge and not cross line and lose discipline.”

Posted by Andrew Gross on 03/26 at 05:53 PM

Love all the time wasted on talking about Miller, Pyatt, Boyle, Asham, Newberry, Powe and Kreider..

Between them, they have 10 goals TOTAL… that’s ten goals from 7 players. It took those seven players 198 games to accumulate 10 goals. That is absolutely pathetic!

Other than an occasional goal that makes a difference (think Asham), it will be up to the top six to win games.

Short and long term, we need to be critical of Sather who put together a lineup that is totally devoid of scoring from the 3rd and 4th lines.

Posted by Bill on 03/26 at 06:38 PM

I think I say this every time you’re down here in Philly, Andrew, but if you must have a cheesesteak - Tony Lukes.

Posted by DaveB on 03/26 at 06:40 PM

“Between them, they have 10 goals TOTAL… that’s ten goals from 7 players. It took those seven players 198 games to accumulate 10 goals. That is absolutely pathetic!”

if we had a proper coach staff those guys would have pretty good stats.

I hope we move Pyatt before the deadline, his skating is just that bad.

Posted by Tortaturd on 03/26 at 06:55 PM

“If Miller is in, the Rangers need a candidate to come out of the lineup. “

Gaborik?

Posted by alan on 03/26 at 07:00 PM

Jim’s on South Street! Hmmmm…...... delicious!

Posted by Kevin on 03/26 at 07:04 PM

Yeah Bill, ultimately it’s Slats fault ... then again, did you expect Kreider and Boyle to have 1 goal a piece? Historically speaking that group with 10 goals should probably have 20 goals—- not much history on Miller and Newbury though. Still, 10 more goals, heck even 6-8 more goals from that group (3rd and 4th line) and we’re probably winning 3-4 more games. Other Note: Pretty sure 2-3 of Pyatt’s goals (and Kreider’s goal) came when he (they) was (were) playing Top 6 minutes on LW there for a while, so the lack of scoring from the 3rd and 4th line is even worse than you make it sound.

We could talk about Richards, but that would be like beating over and over again ONE dead horse.

Posted by CJ on 03/26 at 07:08 PM

Isn’t funny that players that Sather acquires, like Mitchell, Parenteau, etc…leave the Rangers, where the coach cannot find a spot for them, or uses them as 4th liners, yet they move on to other teams and find some success?

Let’s continue to play Marion Gaborik with Brian Boyle….he who has a whopping 1 goal and 1 assist this year, and has been on ice for all of 3 goals scored this year. What a centerman for Gabby!

Bob may be beating a dead horse about Torts, but in his rants, there is some validation. Torts has failed to tweak his “system” to accomodate players brought here to provide offense. Sometimes you have to play differently when players like Richards aren’t performing, and, when Nash was playing at his peak, it was alongside Hagelin & Stepan. He brought their game up! So let’s continue to skate Nash with Richards, and now Kreider. That turns Nash from the scorer into a wall player. and robs him of his best talent.

Why not revert to something like Hags-Stepan-Nash, Kreider-Miller- Callahan, Pyatt-Richards-Gaborik, and Asham-Boyle-Powe?

Posted by coachrd on 03/26 at 07:37 PM

“I dont know if it was posted in here or another thread, but i was talking to a coworker and he said that there was an article somewhere on Zucc’s coach was bashing Torts style of coaching. He said Zucc would not work out because of Torts “Stoneage Hockey Style”.”

“It’s floating around at a lot of places. I heard it mentioned the other day when the Rangers came here to Pittsburgh. All the radio personalities were talking about how Torts is on thin-ice.

I work in the area of Pittsburgh where a lot of radio stations are located. I saw one of the personalities down at the deli (Using the term “deli” very loosely mind you.. freaking Pittsburgh) and he said that there was some tension between the powers that be because Torts had failed to open up the system after there was an injection of talent. He also said that you could really feel the tension in the locker-room while they were interviewing players, which was a big change from how it was last season.”

“It’s so frustrating when you watch other teams in the NHL play in the offensive zone.

Like the Kings and Blackhawks game last night, their transition through the neutral zone is so much better. They go through with speed, none of this bs long pass tip in. When they dump it in, they do it with speed through the neutral zone so they will actually win the puck battle.

When we dump the puck in, more often than not, we do not have enough speed and are simply giving the puck away. That’s why we have a hard time generating offense, we are dumping and giving the puck away and try to regain it in their zone. This works on the bad teams in the NHL, but the good ones can move it out of their zone quick enough and not allow our forecheck to have a chance at getting the puck back.

We tire ourselves out trying to get the puck back and so even when we do get it back, we’re too tired to generate any quality chances.

Same exact problems on the PP of getting through the neutral zone. It’s pathetic.”

“Its also tough to have a good transition game when we’re pinned so deeply in our own zone for most of the game.

Our breakouts are awful.

This is my prognosis. As long as Tortorella continues with this anemic offensive approach, no trade will improve this team and we (if we even make the playoffs) will not go very far whatsoever.

Thats just how it is. If he adjusts then I can see improvement. If he doesnt, we all better start looking forward to next year and just enjoy watching the Penguins and Blackhawks insane offenses in the Finals.”

“Tortorella then said, “we need someone to take over the PP and run it. I still don’t think that has really happened or am sure it ever will.”

sounds like a coach who has a handle on things doesn’t it? It really seems like he has the ability to affect change with the team right?”

“Richards was supposed to be the PP savior.

Torts lobbied for that one.”

Posted by Tortaturd on 03/26 at 07:50 PM

“Isn’t funny that players that Sather acquires, like Mitchell, Parenteau, etc…leave the Rangers, where the coach cannot find a spot for them, or uses them as 4th liners, yet they move on to other teams and find some success?”

it is not funny, it is sad, and it is obvious why. This guy is not a good coach. Not only is he unable to properly distribute the icetime, but there is no offensive system to speak of other than work hard and chase pucks. And he doesn’t practice PP or offense.

“Bob may be beating a dead horse about Torts, but in his rants, there is some validation.”

the horse will be dead when Tort is fired, until then I will keep beating it until it dies.

BTW funny how when we think our team is about to become a scoring powerhouse in NHL with the Nash acquisition, then Tort decides he now has his new toy and throws his top scorer (old toy Gaborik) in the trash can and disrespects him by forcing him to play LW for most of the season. Funny how we get Richards to help us last season and Dubinsky has a brutal year.

Posted by Tortaturd on 03/26 at 08:01 PM

Everyone knows I’m not (never have been) a Torts fan. That being said, is the current disappointing play more his fault? Or that of the players? Or have we (and almost every writer/media/broadcaster/pundit just over-rated the Rangers’ talent?

To me, it’s Torts. A coach has to recognize when the current roster (which Sather keeps tweaking to try and bring in what’s necessary) doesn’t perfectly lend itself to the system at hand, and tweaks or alters his system. In football, if you have a great QB and a great receiving corps, and a marginal running game, you don’t force pound and ground. You use it to complement your assets.

It was apparent in the past few years that the Rangers needed offense. Sather went out and got Nash. That move, in itself, did not alter the complete composition of the team. Nash has already proven himself to be, far and away, the best forward on the team. Also, when paired with Hagelin, his presence opened up the game for Hagelin’s talents. So, of course, Torts has refused to reunite that trio…….

Nash & Gaborik have both professed to be far more comfortable at RW. So, of course, Torts has continued the trend of forcing square pegs into round holes by forcing Gabby to LW….and watching his play continue to fall off. So, he has made Gaborik a 3rd liner, by pairing him with the incredible offensive talents of Brian Boyle, who as ONE goal and ONE assist this year, and who is NEVER on the ice for a goal scoring celebration anymore.

I just don’t get it. Teams now know that our defense throws the puck back and forth behind our own net, so they send a forechecker into the trapezoid behind Henrik all the time. Yet, our defense continues to try and throw it around back there, and recently there have a lot of giveaways. If I see this, doesn’t our venerable coaching staff? Change the way out of our own end.

This team has speed, and I understand the dump and chase, because you’re supposed to beat the other team to the puck. But teams have squeezed up on the boards, slowing the process down the flanks and beating the Rangers to the puck time and time again. Wouldn’t you adjust and take the puck to the middle? If teams then clog the middle in a trap, you revert. But there is no change in the Rangers M.O………..EVER!

Now we re-sign the Hobbit. Great! So now Torts has another top 6 type player to play 7 minutes a game on the 3rd or 4th line?

So, yes, Bob, I agree that Torts is the main culprit. But I disagree with tow of your contentions: A) That Torts will be fired this year and B) Ruff is the answer.

Posted by coachrd on 03/26 at 08:19 PM

Andrew, please take the gum out of your mouth and proof-read your articles. Every single one of them, everyday, has several errors. There is more to it than just spell-check. Journalism across the board is already unprofessional enough.

Posted by Your Editor on 03/26 at 08:29 PM

Dear “Your Editor”, take the gum out of your brain. The mistakes are minor and if you had to go to practice, ask questions after and then churn out a quick and meaningful BLOG (not “articles” as you mistakenly label them), you too would be hard pressed to be perfect—- which as was obvious from your short and childish criticism of Andrew, you’re not. It’s proofread not proof-read.

Posted by CJ on 03/26 at 08:39 PM

“I just don’t get it. Teams now know that our defense throws the puck back and forth behind our own net, so they send a forechecker into the trapezoid behind Henrik all the time. Yet, our defense continues to try and throw it around back there, and recently there have a lot of giveaways. If I see this, doesn’t our venerable coaching staff? Change the way out of our own end. “

yeah this was especially painfully apparent vs the Devils in the playoffs. Devils’s coaching staff read our entire system like a cheap comic book and crushed us. And any good coach/team combo will be able to do the same.

Tortorella, on the other hand, doesn’t even study other teams’ systems looking for their weaknesses. He thinks if Rangers lose it is because they made defensive mistakes and penalties, so he goes to the tapes and tries to find those mistakes, those turnovers, and thinks he will eliminate these mistakes next game. The idiot doesn’t get that this is a game of mistakes and penalties. You cannot play mistake free hockey and you will get penalties. We have a coach who is counter productive. He is coaching what should be ignored and ignoring what should be coached.

“Ruff is the answer.”

why not? Who is the answer then? Sure Ruff is not the best, but he is a pretty damn good coach, with Sather’s track record we can and likely will do a lot worse than Ruff.

Posted by Tortaturd on 03/26 at 08:44 PM

Roy Johansen, the coach of Norway’s World Championship team, said that the Rangers are a bad fit for Zuccarello because they play “stone age hockey” by just dumping and chasing.

Would rather have plentiful posts than perfect copy. Sometimes one could use an editor, blogging can be tough, but he’s doing the best he can and doing it pretty damn well.

Posted by alan on 03/26 at 09:01 PM

I’m not so sure I’d call it stone age. I think tjere style of D first came out of the 1990s. Regardless, they have been very boring to watch. Last year they had control of the puck more. So even tho it wasn’t very flashy, it was easier on the eyes.

Most of the comments above are valid which is why this team is in “critcal condition”. It starts with Sather who runs the organization, it trickles down to the coaching staff and it makes you wonder if they (management & coaching) as a group are on the same page? But really, has Sather given Torts the players to compete for a Championship? If you answer yes to that, than the blame falls on the coach for not “making” it work. But IMO I don’t think it’s that easy to figure this one out. Does Torts have a lot of input as to what the “make-up” of his team is supposed to be or is Sather just “crazy” about landing big name players which just keeps coming back to haunt him? Maybe it’s both of these guys having “equal” blame? The coach never wins that battle when the whip comes down, especially with Sather. One can have that discussion for hours.

As for the players on the current team…yes, we shouldn’t be talking about Powe, Asham, Pyatt, Boyle, Newbury and a rookie like JT Miller. While each and everyone of them should have a role on the team, they are not supposed to be carrying the team. The “big three” Richards, Gaborik & Nash are the key to the offensive success of this team…without them performing there will be no success…period. I think it is safe to say that players like Cally, Stephan and Hagelin(and a few others) are doing their jobs…as they are supposed too, but they are not the “center piece” of this team. I bet that if the “big three” were playing to their full potential, the other players mentioned above would have even better success…that’s just how it works. If the “big three” were producing we certainly wouldn’t be talking about the Powe’s Asham’, & Boyle’s (and Zuccarello for that matter) of the world would we ?

Posted by pif on 03/26 at 09:12 PM

Posted by pif on 03/26 at 04:12 PM

until this team drafts better they are doomed to many years like the current one and all the sather error (last year was the outlier)

Posted by JJ on 03/26 at 09:40 PM

“This idiot is now going around in circles. He got his PP QB in Richards, now he wants a 36 year old Boyle with a 6.6 mil cap hit. Sorry Torts, deal with it.”

“Seriously. OK, so instead of going with a power play that goes through 1 player, (like Giroux with Philly, MSL with Tampa), why doesn’t Johnny Cakes go with a power play that goes through everyone equally? (St. Louis, Nashville without Suter.)

Let me guess, are we “trying to get Richie going?”“

““The reality is that the Rangers, when everyone is healthy, look pretty darn good. I don’t think they have to do anything drastic and if they can just sneak into the playoffs”

But what injuries are the Rangers suffering from?

Staal is out, which is a huge blow. But is that really why this team is playing so poorly? Sorry, I am not buying it. The reality is, this team has big enough key players healthy and playing right now but still manages to not be playing to its potential. Enough excuses.”

“Best goalie in the league?

Let’s try to block as many shots as we possibly can!”

Posted by Tortaturd on 03/26 at 09:59 PM

Coachrd, good post at 237pm.
My own thoughts….I no longer live in the NY area so I buy the hockey package to keep up with the NYR. I also watch a lot of Penguin games and other teams around the league. I attend a few games a year around the country. Watching the NYR is not very much fun. Hockey is being played much better elsewhere. This coach’s system has been battle tested. Not much to point to other than the Cup in ‘04 with a bunch of young, talented players. What have you done for me lately? Our roster may not set the league on fire but we have plenty of talent to be a top six team in the conference, no doubt. The results are in. Torts is a pretty good 2nd assistant somewhere else. It is way past time to set Gabby free of this system. Not even getting the garbage goals that Torts loves so much anymore. TSN would pick Torts back up in a minute.
Let our guys play and skate with someone else behind the bench. The time has come. Maybe Gernander or some other fresh face.
BTW, who is the coach of the Ducks? That’s right, the guy who couldn’t coach the current Capitals roster. Coaching changes happen all the time. Let’s make one here and now.
A less than spirited LGR!
PS- Andrew, please ignore the idiots who criticize your writing All of us love you enthusiasm and dedication.

Posted by Matt G on 03/26 at 10:05 PM

WOW - some norwegian genuis is now a good judge of the NHL game?? thank god he came along to spell it out from Europe !! PLEASE!!
I think the biggest problem is that the success of last year blinded most fans and the media as well re a few things : the impact of the short/non-existent pre-season
and
the personnel changes.
Also not to be underestimated are the under-performances by several of our core players. (Richards, Gabby & Boyle). Gotta say that I NEVER though we’d miss Feds but Pyatt and Halpern didn’t do much at all… Losing Prust has meant much more than could’ve been predicted. Kid Kreider just was not NHL-ready and the injury to Staal should also be considered.
Personally, I still thik this team is just a few bounces and breaks away from being right in the mix this year due to an over-all very sound defensive game.
I guess what I am getting at is that I still do not consider Tortorella to be a negative influence on anybody’s game and that his game planning allows for anybody to be creative and do anything that works on offense.. Dumping and chasing is done by every team in this league.. when you carry up and make the red line, and then the opposition starts closing on the puck carrier, it is standard operation to dump it in !! That is not some Torts’ directive! So if you wanna stay on the whole pointing of fingers… here’s my take on the issues
#1) Current Players under-performing; Richards tops this list due to BIG $$$ and HUGE contract!! He’s way off from his average output at this point. Gabby too is off his average (though not as bad as Richards) Boyle, though not a big money guy, has allowed his game to drop way off. He was a beast last year before the injury. If these three guys just made their usual average output, we’d probably be looking at 10-15 .. maybe 20 more goals this year. That’d have to be good for 5+ additional wins, better PP and a better goal-differential.
2) Slats new guys, versus who left, haven’t paid off beyond Nasher. And no help/new talent on defense keeping it super thin… Making the abscence of M Staal huge and forcing Girardi to play when he probably could use a few games off to heal up / re-gain his strength. Throw in that our PK was only re-enforced by trading Rupp for Powe .. costing us grit in the bargain. Nash’s great great talent, to me, makes it OK to have lost AA and Dubi… It would have been interesting to see what kid Ericson would have done here as he’d probably be getting a regular spot since Staal went out.
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One thing I will throw at Tort’s that’s hurt him indirectly is that he has a tendencee to snap-judge players. I think that hurt us last year when we had Mitchell here yet and the guy hardly saw the ice duriong the playoffs…
When Torts first arrived, we still had Colton Orr in the mix .. he may have signed a “bloated” ufa deal that the Rangers considered un-worthy.. I don’t recall.. So Slats signed Brashear who was shot and then Boogie which didn’t work out either.. Parenteau, Mitchell and few others were here and never got a real chance… Pruster, well he may have gotten more than his numbers ever allowed for, but man could we use him now on the PK and to take care of biz. I still think some good can come out of this year… I think they can get in at 6th or so. I don’t think that Torts will be or should be let go.
If we can gain some additional scoring from the three guys we all know about, get some creativity and production from MZA and get M Staal back at near 100% and maybe land a bonifde NHL defensman before the dealine, this team is not done!!

Posted by Range Rick on 03/26 at 10:21 PM

Jussi Jokinen Waived interesting

BTW Brian Lee was on waivers few days go.

Posted by Tortaturd on 03/26 at 10:25 PM

“It would have been interesting to see what kid Ericson would have done here as he’d probably be getting a regular spot since Staal went out.”

Tort was not impressed with Erixon.

Ranger Rick you are really blinded by your love for Tortorella, you just refuse to acknowledge and see that he deserves most of the blame.

Even when we got far in the playoffs last season, we looked brutal and almost lost to 2 weak teams and eventually lost to another weak team.

About

ANDREW GROSS covers the New York Rangers for The Record and Herald News, having joined the North Jersey Media Group in November 2007. Gross also covered the Rangers and New York Jets, as well as St. John’s basketball and Army football, for Gannett Newspapers and The Journal News (N.Y.). He graduated from Syracuse University in 1989 with a degree in newspaper journalism.